University of Florida researchers have received two new multi-year grants totaling nearly $1M in funding from the American Diabetes Association; enabling the launch of new scientific studies in Type 1 diabetes and diabetes-linked eye disease. Both awards seek to identify new therapies for early intervention and provide a foundation for future research. Read more.
NASCAR's Ryan Reed is teaming with the American Diabetes Association in his second full season in the NASCAR Xfininty Series. Reed, a member of the UF Diabetes Institute Ambassadors Council, will campaign for awareness and educational efforts at all NASCAR Nationwide races this year, as well as at several off track health and wellness initiatives. See website for more details.
Mark A. Atkinson, PhD., director of the University of Florida Diabetes Institute, and Alberto Pugliese, M.D., head of the Immunogenetics Program at the University of Miami's Diabetes Research Institute, were recently honored with the JDRF Mary Tyler Moore and S. Robert Levine Excellence in Clinical Research Award on behalf of the JDRF Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes (nPOD). Learn more.
A new study by University of Florida researchers published in the February issue of Diabetes Care finds that most parents of children with Type 1 diabetes use online health information, including social media, to gain knowledge of the disease. The survey findings can help better establish how much Internet sources affect parents’ level of care for their children, and which ones parents may rely on for accurate information.
A collaborative type 1 diabetes study led by researchers from UF and the Institute of Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, in Germany is recognized among JDRF's Top 10 Research Advances in 2014. The JDRF-funded research has shed more light on the connection between T1D, gut bacteria interactions, and certain viruses. Learn more.
Nearly one in every three people with Type 1 diabetes continue to produce insulin, some for decades after diagnosis, according to a first-of-its-kind study conducted by researchers from T1D Exchange. These data “suggest important differences in the biological process of Type 1 diabetes between those diagnosed as children or as adults,” the investigators wrote. UF Health pediatric endocrinologist Michael Haller, M.D. was a co-author on the study. Read more.
UF Health Type 1 diabetes expert Desmond Schatz, M.D. has been elected to the American Diabetes Association's Board of Directors for 2015. Dr. Schatz has been a volunteer for the ADA for more than 25 years and has served on numerous committees. Dr. Schatz previously served on the national Board of Directors and was recently named president-elect of the American Diabetes Association, the nation's largest and leading voluntary health organization leading the fight to Stop Diabetes®, beginning in 2016.
Benjamin Keselowsky, Ph.D. has received a new NIH R01 grant for “Biomaterial Delivery System for Type 1 Diabetes Vaccine”. Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in collaboration with UF Diabetes Institute Director, Mark Atkinson, Ph.D., and Clive Wasserfall, this, $1.5M grant will fund the investigation of biodegradable microparticle/hydrogel formulations delivering immuno-modulatory factors to targeted immune cell types for the prevention and reversal of T1D.
More than 93 million people suffer vision loss from diabetes worldwide. Newly-renovated laboratory space in the UF Department of Ophthalmology will shed new light on promising treatments and therapies aimed at improving vision health for older adults, particularly those who have diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of adult blindness in the U.S. Read more.
UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital and JDRF are partnering to help newly diagnosed patients and families of young children with Type 1 diabetes. The JDRF Bag of Hope is filled with useful resources for both the child who has been diagnosed with T1D and his or her adult caregivers. Learn more.
